My Public Relations Internship: A Farewell

Today is the last day of Saul Malone’s public relations internship with the Proof DC office. A social media expert, musician and comedian, he joined Proof in March to put his public relations degree to work. We sat down with Saul to ask him about his internship experience and to wish him farewell!

WHY COMMUNICATIONS?

I’ve always found that communications played to my strengths. Ever since I’ve had the ability, I’ve enjoyed reading and writing. As a comedian, I love telling a good story and communications allows me to do that. It’s such a “people” field. It’s a place where relationships matter and where stories are important. I’m also a very curious person by nature. There’s always something new to learn, to experience. The communications field really brings all of those things together.

WHY ENVIRONICS?

What struck me most about Proof was the genuine care they have for the people that work here. Strategies can be such a fast paced and demanding line of work. While that’s certainly true at Environics, they emphasis on culture is huge. They take the time to make sure that you’re enjoying the work you do and that you have a life outside of work. Sometimes it’s easy to feel kind of lost in the crowd at work, but at Proof it always felt like I was truly part of a team, a family. It’s a very unique work atmosphere that I think everybody should get to experience.

WHAT WAS THE BEST DAY OF YOUR INTERNSHIP?

My favorite day of the public relations internship was when our CEO, Bruce MacLellan, came to visit the DC office from Toronto. It was really cool hearing his stories of his early work with the Canadian government and other communications agencies. Hearing how he took what he learned from his agency work, both positive and negative, and seeing how he used it to shape Proof into what he wanted an agency to look like was fascinating. He was also just very kind and gracious with his time while he was here.

WHAT WAS THE MOST CHALLENGING DAY?

There was a week when one of our Account Coordinators went on vacation and I was in charge of monitoring and handling an account without her help. We usually were a team when it came to tackling any challenges or problems that arose. The first day she was gone was my most challenging day. I felt a little bit lost and overwhelmed with the idea of making sure things were running smoothly. I stumbled a little bit out of the gate, but thankfully there was enough guidance from other team members that I eventually got my feet back underneath me.

WHAT WAS THE BEST ADVICE YOU HAVE BEEN GIVEN IN YOUR CAREER?

Vulnerability breeds vulnerability. Essentially, be open and honest with people will lead them to be open and honest with you. I always try to say exactly what I’m feeling and tell the truth. I’ve found that it’s always worked out for me and that people respond in the same manner. If you open the door for people to be vulnerable with you, they usually take it. Authenticity is something I value greatly, and it’s always been something I’ve strived for.

WHAT’S THE BEST COMMUNICATIONS CAMPAIGN YOU’VE SEEN RECENTLY?

I really like Lyft’s “Riding is the New Driving” campaign. Uber has become almost synonymous with ridesharing and taxi alternatives, but Lyft is really trying to disrupt the market. They have advertisements around DC on bus stops and in metro stations, which is a pretty gutsy move. The new TV spot they put out for this campaign is a really good one too. It’s very creative. Ridesharing is obviously not going anywhere anytime soon and I think Lyft is doing some really interesting things to grow their market share.

WHAT WISDOM WOULD YOU GIVE SOMEONE ENTERING A COMMUNICATIONS INTERNSHIP?

Don’t be afraid to voice your ideas! I was a little timid starting off with contributing ideas because I felt that as “just an intern” I should listen and learn. While listening and learning are both important, so is contributing ideas. Strategies is a collaborative, team oriented field. Every idea can be a good one, and who’s to say that that idea can’t come from you! Contribute right away. Don’t feel held back by your position or some title. You have good ideas. Share them!

WHAT’S NEXT?

I’m heading out on the Vans Warped Tour! If you don’t know what Warped Tour is, it’s a traveling music festival that sets up in a different city every day. I did it last summer as well and it’s an absolute blast. It’s basically just rock ‘n roll summer camp. I’ve always had a passion for music and the community that comes with it. I’ll be selling merchandise and helping run social media for a band called With Confidence. They’re from Australia and they’re a fun bunch of guys. Be sure to check out their social media channels to keep up to date with us! This is their first time in America, so it’s sure to be a blast. If you’re feeling up for it, come out to a show. I’ll see you in the pit.